This application is a 371 of PCT/EP02/11901 filed Oct. 24, 2002.
This invention relates to readily biodegradable and toxicologically safe compositions. The compositions according to the invention are obtainable by subjecting mixtures of C8-22 fatty alcohols and ring opening products emanating from the reaction of C8-18 1,2-epoxyalkanes with ethylene glycol to ethoxylation.
DE 28 29 697 C2 describes liquid detergent compositions of addition products of ethylene oxide onto fatty alcohols and addition products of ethylene oxide onto internal vicinal alkanediols which do not gel on addition of water.
DE 40 06 391 A1 describes pourable liquid surfactant concentrates of nonionic surfactants and their use as emulsifiers in emulsion polymerization. These known surfactant concentrates contain on the one hand addition products of ethylene oxide onto primary alcohols and, on the other hand, reaction products of 5 to 25 mol ethylene oxide with 1 mol aliphatic vicinal terminal diols.
DE 197 31 880 A1 also describes pourable liquid surfactant concentrates of nonionic surfactants and their use as emulsifiers in emulsion polymerization. These surfactant concentrates are similar in their composition to those known from the above-cited DE 40 06 391 except that the second component (reaction product of ethylene oxide with aliphatic vicinal terminal diols) has a higher degree of ethoxylation (30 to 50).